Once again, the Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic is aiming to land Pittsburgh on the Moon. Griffin Mission One had its first launch date scheduled for later this month, but that window has now shifted to summer 2026.

A year ago, in January 2024, the company’s Peregrine Mission One took flight. Griffin is a larger lander and is aiming for Nobile Crater in the south pole area of the moon. Both Peregrine and Griffin Missions are part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. CLIPS utilizes private companies to deliver science instruments and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface at reduced cost.

Aboard will be Venturi Astrolab’s FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform (FLEX) rover. With NASA’s ultimate aim to land people on the moon, one of FLEX’s capabilities will be to carry two astronauts or adapt to carrying large cargo volumes. It will have adaptive suspension for the rough lunar regolith, a robotic arm for sample collection, and retractable solar panels to help it store energy for the cold lunar nights.

Griffin-1 currently has payloads for NASA, Astrolab, Astrobotic, European Space Agency (ESA), and Interlune, a company looking for helium-3 concentrations on the moon based on data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). The archival project, Galactic Library to Preserve Humanity (GLPH), nano-engraved a microscopic library of literature, art, and science advancements; a preservation of human achievement.